Posted on Dec 14, 2023
Fake social media accounts are targeting Taiwan's presidential election
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https://www.npr.org/2023/12/13/ [login to see] /fake-social-media-accounts-are-targeting-taiwans-presidential-election
An influence operation spanning Facebook, TikTok and YouTube has been targeting Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, according to a new report from research firm Graphika.
While Graphika wasn't able to determine who was behind the operation, the report comes amid warnings from government officials and tech companies that elections around the world next year are ripe targets for manipulation from states including China, Russia and Iran, as well as domestic actors.
The operation Graphika identified involved a network of more than 800 fake accounts and 13 pages on Facebook that reposted Chinese-language TikTok and YouTube videos about Taiwanese politics.
An influence operation spanning Facebook, TikTok and YouTube has been targeting Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, according to a new report from research firm Graphika.
While Graphika wasn't able to determine who was behind the operation, the report comes amid warnings from government officials and tech companies that elections around the world next year are ripe targets for manipulation from states including China, Russia and Iran, as well as domestic actors.
The operation Graphika identified involved a network of more than 800 fake accounts and 13 pages on Facebook that reposted Chinese-language TikTok and YouTube videos about Taiwanese politics.
Fake social media accounts are targeting Taiwan's presidential election
Posted from npr.org
Social Media
Facebook
YouTube
Taiwan
Elections
Posted 5 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."There were some clear red flags that the Facebook accounts were fake. Some used profile pictures stolen from real people and edited to change features — for example, by replacing the person's original smile with a different one.
Clusters of accounts published identical content within minutes of one another, and at times posted TikTok links that included an ID indicating they had been shared by a single person, in a further signal of coordination.
Some of the Facebook pages used incorrect or uncommon Chinese transliterations of Taiwanese slang, suggesting the people behind them weren't familiar with the language, Graphika said."
..."There were some clear red flags that the Facebook accounts were fake. Some used profile pictures stolen from real people and edited to change features — for example, by replacing the person's original smile with a different one.
Clusters of accounts published identical content within minutes of one another, and at times posted TikTok links that included an ID indicating they had been shared by a single person, in a further signal of coordination.
Some of the Facebook pages used incorrect or uncommon Chinese transliterations of Taiwanese slang, suggesting the people behind them weren't familiar with the language, Graphika said."
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